


nothing ever stops you leaving

by theboyonthemoon



Category: Minecraft (Video Game), Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Abusive Relationships, Angst, Author is a Technoblade Apologist (Video Blogging RPF), Domestic Fluff, Family Dynamics, Fluff and Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Injury Recovery, M/M, No Romance, Wing Grooming
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-09
Updated: 2021-03-09
Packaged: 2021-03-10 04:42:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 5,277
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27978285
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/theboyonthemoon/pseuds/theboyonthemoon
Summary: basically jschlatt is abusive towards quackity and this is quackity seeking out comfort from other peoplein other words: i rip out your heart, stomp on it, and give you like two sentences of fluff to ease the pain
Relationships: Alexis | Quackity & Dave | Technoblade, Alexis | Quackity & Phil Watson, Alexis | Quackity/Jschlatt
Comments: 89
Kudos: 540





	1. hey, karl?

**Author's Note:**

> haha i am sad here you go
> 
> tw: dysfunctional abusive relationship, violence, threats of violence, gaslighting
> 
> the violence isn't graphic but it is very implied so here's your warning if that is gonna be a not good thing to read for your mental health.
> 
> ok i know this fic is tagged Schlatt/Quackity but it's really just going to be Schlatt being a dick, Quackity being sad but still very attached to him, and Quackity being comforted by other people. not really much romance involved.
> 
> also, quackity and karl aren't being shipped. they are just homies.

Normally, Quackity would have left immediately after the first harsh word. These circumstances, however, were far from normal.

Schlatt, as anyone with working eyes could see, was drunk off his ass. He was quite a mess, really. Even as messy as he was, he was still very dangerous. Quackity knew that better than anybody. 

The horned man was currently sitting on the floor of his home, bottle in hand, unnaturally wide smile adorning his features. The duck-hybrid sighed and held out his arm for the third time, trying to get the ram into his room, where he could pass out in peace, away from any large windows. If word of the Manberg president being so vulnerable got out, he would be put in danger. Although Quackity admittedly wasn't very fond of Schlatt at the moment, he still didn't want him to be assassinated. 

"Hey, Quack- Quackity! Didn't- Didn't even see you there! How're you doing, man?"

The shorter man sighed again and pointedly waved his arm in front of the ~~goat~~ ram man's face.

"I'm doing just fine, Schlatt. Now please get up off the floor, anyone could walk by and see you... in this state."

The horned man's eyes narrowed, horizontal pupils flashed dangerously. 

"And what is that supposed to mean, Mr. _Vice_ President?"

The duck hybrid immediately tensed up, sensing a very bad situation impending.

"N-nothing Mr. President, just that... well, if someone were to see you, I mean, not that you're bad-looking, just that, well... you're a bit of a mess right now, dude."

Quackity could sense that he'd made a mistake before Schlatt even opened his alcoholic mouth.

"Make no mistake, **_Alex_**. I could end you right here, no matter how much alcohol I have in my system. In fact," the ram-hybrid said, pushing himself upright and taking a threatening step towards the younger, "I think it's about time you learned a lesson about respecting your superiors."

The beanie-clad boy flinched. Schlatt's slurred speech was suddenly remarkably clear. The voice in his head screamed _DANGER DANGER DANGER_ and he instinctively took a few small steps backwards. 

The taller man's horns gave him a shockingly intimidating silhouette as he advanced towards Quackity, trapping the younger against the wall.

The duck hybrid internally sighed, accepted his fate, and reminded himself not to cry too much.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The beating had been brutal, possibly one of the worst he had been given. The Hispanic man staggered out of the house, clutching his ribs. Schlatt had hit him quite a few times, decided he was satisfied, and promptly passed out on the couch. Quackity was fairly sure his ribs were bruised, if not broken, and his head wasn't doing too good either. Shards of glass were embedded in the beanie he loved so much. 

Suddenly, a figure appeared on the horizon. Heart beating fast, the duck-hybrid quickly scurried behind the nearest tree, tucking his small wings in close to his body. This was evidently a mistake, as the blue-hooded man cried out in pain, his wing surely broken. The figure's footsteps got louder, and a blinding array of colors crowded his vision.

"Quackity? You good, man? You look a bit... well, you look like you just got beat up behind a Denny's," Karl quipped, trying to hide the apparent worry on his face.

The shorter man sighed and nodded, still cradling his wings as best he could. 

"I'm doing fine, I just... tripped. And fell. Down the Prime Path stairs. In a boat."

Karl squinted skeptically but nodded. He held out his hand to the younger man.

"Well, I'm not leaving you out here at any rate. Come on, I have some bamboo bandages at my house." Pulling the Hispanic up, the colorful man heard a gasp and a failed attempt at stifling a yelp of pain.

"Hey man, you good? Is it your leg?" Quackity nodded, drawing Karl's attention to the shards of glass in his beanie. He furrowed his brows.

"There's glass in your beanie. How did that happen?" The younger's eyes widened, if only for a second.

"I, uh, crashed into Targay. With my head." Karl winced, and shifted his grip on the shorter man.

"That must have hurt. I'm sorry. Can I pick you up? That leg doesn't look like it's going to bear weight anytime soon."

The duck hybrid nodded again, and Karl scooped him up surprisingly easily and began the short walk to his house.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Karl set Quackity on a nearby chest, opening another and grabbing some string and wool. 

"I'm gonna bind your injuries, ok?"

The smaller man nodded and looked down, zoned out as the colorful boy worked on his wounds.

As Karl reached a hand out to inspect the hybrid's wings, the other boy flinched and drew back. Karl blinked, registering.

"Do you not want me to touch those?" 

Quackity pursed his lips, hesitating, then shook his head.

"You can fix them if you want. Just... I haven't groomed them in a while, so please be careful?" Karl nodded, smiling slightly, and gently took the hybrid's small yellow wings in his hands, turning the man slightly so his back was more accessible.

The hoodie-clad man hummed as he worked, wrapping the wing joint with a thin layer of wool, so it was still movable, but wouldn't bend in ways it wasn't supposed to. Then he felt the smaller boy's wings start fluttering.

"Shit, sorry, I just haven't been exercising them that much lately, they're... this is gonna sound dumb, but they're happy at being given attention." Karl smiled, giving him a reassuring pat on the shoulder.

"Don't worry about it, dude. You're totally good." He resumed carding his fingers through the puffy dandelion-colored feathers.

Quackity took a breath, standing on the edge of a decision.

"Hey, Karl?"

"Yeah?"

_I didn't fall. Schlatt hit me._

"Thank you for doing this for me."

Karl grinned. 

"No problem, dude! Always happy to help out a friend!"

Quackity relaxed, letting his friend take care of him. He would wake up the next morning, in Karl's spare bedroom, with some eggs on a platter on the bedside table and a note with a smiley face on it. He would eat the eggs slowly, tucking the note into his pocket. He would make his way slowly out of bed, out of the house, and back to the White House. He would prop a pillow under Schlatt's ever-sleeping figure. He would allow himself a sob, just one, and then he would go on with his life.

But right now, the duck didn't need to worry about those things. Because he was here, and safe, and Karl was here, and he was okay. Just for now. Just for a moment.


	2. m' sorry, niki

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> niki finds out about how schlatt treats quackity, and hurt/comfort ensues.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ahahaha this chapter is for everyone who commented last time tysm for the motivation
> 
> short one today because i'm tired
> 
> tw: gaslighting(kinda?), verbal abuse, swearing, crying
> 
> note: if ur in an abusive relationship, please get help! you deserve so much more.

Niki knows that Quackity is not stupid.

Sure, sometimes he goofs around, and doesn't get as much done as he should, but really, the duck-hybrid is very smart.

So for the love of Notch, Niki cannot figure out why, why does he not run from Schlatt?

Currently, the beanie-clad man is being harshly berated by the ram right in the middle of the conference room, flinching every time the Manberg president utters a particularly nasty profanity.

"Quackity, you fuckin' stupid, useless, worthless excuse of a man, how the hell did you manage to lose the two papers that I give you the responsibility of? Jesus, you whine and cry all the fuckin' time about how 'oh, I have no control over Manberg', 'oh, it's not fair that you get to make all the important decisions', and then I finally decide to be kind and give you this important choice and you fuckin' screw it up? You're useless! Pathetic!"

Niki wishes she didn't have to see this. She clears her throat.

"I'd like it if we could please move on to the subject of my bakery being taxed? If the papers are lost I assume you aren't able to go through with this particular law."

Quackity flinches as Schlatt rolls his weird goat eyes for what might be the eightieth time. 

"Yeah, whatever, you can go. I need a _word_ with this one."

"Actually, I was hoping that he could come with me, Fundy wants to talk to him about some redstone mechanic thing. Unless you'd like to handle that yourself?" 

The ram's eyes narrow. He turns away. 

"Fine, take him." He dismisses them with a casual wave of his... palm? hoof? Niki isn't sure. Whatever. She grabs the duck hybrid's hand and leads him out of the stuffy conference room.

Quackity sighs with relief, and shoots Niki a grateful look.

"So I'm assuming Fundy doesn't actually want my help with redstone?"

Niki shakes her head.

"Just something I came up with on the spot."

Quackity grins.

"Well that's a relief, I'm horrible at redstone. Once Tubbo tried to teach me how to make a piston circuit and I somehow turned it into a dispenser."

The baker giggles, motioning for the vice president to follow her. He does so, and in a short while they're at Niki's bakery.

The duck's eyes light up as he takes in the glorious sight of all the pastries, the sweet smell of icing filling the air.

Niki smiles.

"Would you like one?" He nods enthusiastically, and they both grin.

She selects three pastries- one for her, two for Quackity. He looks as if he hasn't eaten in days, and Niki is concerned. She sets the baked goods on the table, and the boy immediately digs in, devouring the cinnamon rolls in a matter of seconds. Niki is a bit more refined, taking small bites and smiling at Quackity's jokes.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hours later, the sun is near setting, and a considerable amount of pastries have been consumed. There is a slight lull in the conversation that has been flowing all day, and Niki decides to take the opportunity to bring something up.

"Quackity, what Schlatt said earlier, does he do that often?"

The hybrid sighs and turns his head to the side slightly, almost as if embarrassed. 

"I guess so. I mean, only when I do something wrong. I deserve it, really. He's actually really fair to me a lot of the time."

Niki furrows her brow.

"You just lost a paper or two, that's not even close to justifying all that harsh language."

Quackity shrugs, and then he's sobbing into his hands, and she's doing her best to calm him down, and she feels a tug at her heartstrings because really he's just a kid.

The duck looks up through tear-filled eyes at her and sniffles. 

"M' sorry Niki."

The baker offers him a gentle smile.

"It's alright. Do you want a hug?"

Quackity opens his arms ever so slightly, and they fall into an embrace. Niki feels him shake through the hug, and she prays to Notch she can save him.

They stay like that for a long time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i read and reply to every single comment, so please interact with me! i'd love to know what you all think :)
> 
> have a wonderful day, lovelies! drink some water and take a nap if you need it! ily <3


	3. thank you, techno

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> schlatt hurt duck, techno comfort duck
> 
> also: techno being soft for once lmao

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ahaha can you tell techno is my comfort cc
> 
> thanks to all of my nice readers who commented on the previous chapters, u all are my motivation <3
> 
> tw: domestic abuse, violence, sickness(he has a cold), crying, blood
> 
> if you are in an abusive relationship, i highly suggest you get help and get out of there. you deserve so much more and i care about you and don't want to see you hurt :(
> 
> also the time setting for this is like,,, Pogtopia hours, because Schlatt is president in these one-shots

Quackity sneezes for the third time in a minute, and sighs. He's definitely sick, but he has way too much paperwork due to rest. Stacks of files clutter the messy desk. He flinches as the door slams open, revealing a pissed-off Schlatt with a note in hand.

"Get over here, now. Dream has requested we deliver this note to Technoblade, wherever he is, like he couldn't just deliver it himself, the green bastard, and-"

The ram stops short.

"What is this?" He gestures to the desk, overflowing with work.

The duck hybrid avoids eye contact.

"Just some paperwork I have to fill out for the construction of a new building."

Schlatt's eyes flash menacingly, and Quackity braces himself.

"Some paperwork? _Some_ paperwork? This is a whole damn novel of assignments!"

The smaller man coughs and tries to appear as composed as possible.

"Sorry, Schlatt. I will work harder in the future."

"What did you just call me?"

Quackity realizes his mistake immediately.

"I mean, Mr. President, sir. Sorry, I didn't mean disrespect, I-"

He's suddenly shoved up against the wall of his office. One of the ram's horns is painfully scraping Quackity's cheek, blood trickling from the cut.

"Don't you ever, _ever_ make that mistake again, or you won't have a working arm left to finish that paperwork."

Schlatt releases him, and Quackity slumps to the floor, feeling the adrenaline drain from his body. 

"Now, find Technoblade and deliver this note to him. That is an order." The ram drops the note at his feet and sweeps out of the room.

The vice president brings a shaking hand to his cheek, wincing when a sharp flare of pain rips through his face. He picks himself up off the floor, breathing shallowly. 

He's halfway out the door, note clutched in hand, when one of his wings smacks the doorframe. Pain grips him in it's vice-like claws and he forgets to inhale, a tear slipping out of his eye. Yeah, that's definitely broken. He supposes something snapped when his wings were caught between his back and the wall. Add it to the list of Schlatt-related injuries.

He slowly makes his way out of the office and towards the forest, making sure to keep his wings tucked close to his body in order to not hurt them more. Quackity figures if he wanders around the forest enough, he'll eventually find the so-called Blood God.

To be honest, he doesn't really want to run into Technoblade. He hasn't forgotten the events of Minecraft Monday, and he's in a pretty vulnerable state right now. With how cold it is outside right now, he might die of pneumonia before he gets anywhere near the pig warrior.

A cough racks Quackity's body, reminding him of the sickness that has taken up residence in his lungs. He clutches his chest, lungs struggling painfully. He's so preoccupied with breathing that he doesn't watch his next step. His foot lands on air, and the duck stumbles, falling straight into a pit full of... cows?

Maybe the cold is finally catching up with him. Fever dreams and all that. He leans, sprawled against the side of the pit and hopes he doesn't get trampled by all the cattle. A small calf nudges his face and he turns his head to the side, no energy left to even decide if the animal is real.

The last thing he ~~sees~~ hallucinates? before the dark edging his vision closes in is a flash of red velvet fur. Then there is nothing for what feels like quite a long time.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Quackity wakes to warmth. He slowly opens his eyes, dizzy and disoriented. He tries to sit up, and immediately notices a distinct lack of pain in his body. He brings a hand to his face- hand? Note! The note is gone!

A voice interrupts his panic.

"If you're lookin' for your note it's over on the table. I read it already. Tell Dream I don't want anything to do with his petty backstabbing agenda."

The duck blinks sleepily, and shuffles himself into a more upright position. He rubs his eyes, and opens them to meet with the eyes of the speaker.

Red.

Quackity screams. His arms flail desperately, trying to shove the heavy- cloak? off himself. He manages to stand up- and immediately collapses onto the floor. Tired. Very tired. 

Technoblade stands above him, holding out a hand. 

"I gave you an instant health potion to fix your injuries. You're gonna need to rest up for a bit, that potion takes a toll on your energy."

Quackity doesn't move. The warrior sighs.

"Come on, get back on the couch."

The duck is still shaking, but he figures he's got nothing to lose. He hesitantly takes the warrior's hand and, with assistance, gets himself back into the couch he was previously laying on.

"I'm so confused. Wh- why did you help me? Why am I still sick? Where are we? Is that soup? Also, were there cows at some point?"

Technoblade sets a bowl of soup in Quackity's lap, accompanied with a spoon. It's comfortingly warm.

"You're still sick 'cause health potions only fix injuries. If you're sick it's not going to do anythin'. We're currently at my other other base right now. I wasn't goin' to risk taking you to Pogtopia, and my secret base is still secret, so..."

The smaller man looks around, taking in the house. It's quite nice, really. Warm. Cozy, almost.

"The soup is so you can get well. You're not goin' back outside in that weather with that cold. And yes, there were cows. You fell into my cow farm."

Quackity nods.

"And why did you help me?"

The pig looks away. 

"Come on, eat your soup. You need to get well."

He complies, and soon the soup is gone. It's kind of good, actually. Who knew the mighty Technoblade was also a pretty good cook?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Quackity doesn't remember falling asleep again, but he does remember waking up. He sits up with a start, relaxing when he recognizes the now-familiar interior of Technoblade's "other other base".

He sits up, and discovers that his body aches less than it did... yesterday?

"What time is it?" He asks nobody in particular.

A voice floats from acrooss the room, about where the other couch would be.

"You've been sleeping for about 17 hours. I was beginnin' to think you were in a coma."

The duck startles, not expecting a reply. 

"Ah, thanks." He sleepily curls in on himself and rests his chin on his knees. He's been staring at the wall for at least 10 minutes before the warrior speaks again.

"Who did this to you?"

Quackity's eyes widen and he turns his head.

"Um- I fell in the cow farm, duh. You said so yourself."

"I'm not stupid, Quackity. You didn't fall on your wings. And there's nothing in the pit that could cut your cheek like that."

He buries his face in his arms and mumbles out the answer.

"Schlatt."

The pig's ear twitches slightly.

"I didn't catch that."

The duck hybrid peeks out from behind his crossed arms.

"It was Schlatt who hurt me. Just please don't tell anyone, okay?"

He catches a glimpse of Technoblade's face before the warrior swiftly gets to his feet. Pure rage masks his features.

"I'm going to go out. You stay here."

"Techno-"

A crossbow is unhooked from the wall, and the door slams shut.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ehehe...
> 
> part 2??
> 
> in all honesty, i'm publishing this in two parts because i know i won't have the motivation to get it done in the next couple days, but i feel like you all deserve some more content, and i haven't posted in a while.
> 
> the part 2 will probably be out in less than a week, but i am spending christmas with my family so don't expect too much pls ;-;
> 
> ily u all!! see u in a few days :)))
> 
> (btw, please comment abt who you want to see comfort quackity/beat up schlatt next, im running out of inspiration)


	4. did you- techno, did you kill him?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> basically kinda fluffy, lil angsty, techno comfort. also, he beats up schlatt for quackity. pog.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is part two of the last chapter. i'm not super happy with it because the dialogue seemed weird to me, but here u go anyway. 
> 
> sorry for being so late with the chapter, i had a depressive episode and had to take a quick break from writing.
> 
> tw: blood, minor injuries, violence(mentioned), abuse(mentioned), nightmares(mentioned)
> 
> btw this isn't me tryna ship them, but i know there are some quacknoblade shippers here, so yall can interpret it however you want. i'm not gonna add the / tag, but i will add the & tag.

Quackity has been laying on Technoblade's couch alone for the past hour. The pig had stormed out earlier, directly after the duck told him that Schlatt had been... less than loving to him in their ex(??) relationship.

He feels guilty for hoping that Schlatt isn't hurt too bad.

The small man gives a jump as the door was shoved open. Technoblade himself is standing in the doorway, crossbow held loosely in his off-hand. There's an axe in his right hand, stained with... Quackity looks away.

"Did you- Techno, did you kill him?"

"Nah, just roughed him up a bit." Techno grunts.

Quackity glances at the piglin-hybrid's face, noting a fresh cut on his cheek.

"You have a scratch on your face."

The warrior presses a gold-adorned hand to his cheek, then gives a dismissing grunt. He continues settling in, hanging up his crossbow.

The winged man pushes Techno's cloak off his lap, scurrying across the room to the Blood God himself. 

The pig turns, confused.

"What are you doin'? Get back to the couch, you need to take it easy."

Quackity stares at Techno's cheek, desperately wanting to help, but not being brave enough to say so.

Maybe the warrior senses his need to feel useful, because he takes pity on the smaller man.

"Do you wanna help?"

Quackity gives a small nod, gaze firmly fixed upon the floor.

"Okay, come upstairs. I have some bandages up there." 

With that, Technoblade sweeps up to what must be the second floor. Quackity walks over to the staircase but hesitates, hand on the banister.

The piglin-hybrid looks down from the top of the stairs. He gives a little sniff of understanding.

"Can you not climb up here?"

Quackity's entire face turns pink.

"I can! I just... I'm just resting." He unconvincingly starts whistling, trying his best to appear relaxed.

Technoblade rolls his eyes. 

"Come on."

The duck sighs. He puts a wobbly leg on the first step, and almost immediately falls over.

The Blood God chuckles.

"Y'know, I can just carry you up here if you can't get up yourself."

Quackity purses his lips. 

"I can get up there! Just give me a minute..."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Three failed attempts at climbing the staircase later, and Quackity finally gives in with a sigh.

"Fine, I can't do it. Can you please help?"

He's scooped up and halfway up the stairs before he can process the situation. He shrieks.

"I meant like help walking! You don't have to carry me! I'm not a baby!"

Techno snorts and sets him down on a chest. 

"You're actin' like one. And besides, this way was much faster."

Quackity grumbles and resigns himself to looking through the bandages in the nearby chest. He beckons the taller man closer.

"Ok, so you don't need stitches because it's kinda a shallow cut, but to avoid leaving a scar I need to clean it and put a bandage on," he explains.

The anarchist nods and stares blankly ahead. Quackity was strongly reminded of the way George acted during government meetings.

He cleared his throat.

"Uh, I'm gonna need you to bend down a little so I can reach your face."

Techno's eyes refocus and he snorts.

"'Cause you're short."

Quackity splutters in indignation.

"Wh- you- I'm not short! You're just freakishly tall!"

The piglin smirks, looking down at him. 

"Yeah, I'm tall. And you're short. What's your point here?" 

The duck tries several more times to form a coherent argument, before giving up. He tugs on Techno's sleeve, motioning his face closer.

Techno finally complies, and Quackity starts to gently dab at the cut. He's impressed at the other man's unflinching gaze, and also kind of intimidated. He breaks eye contact to apply the bandage, and sits back.

"There, done. Easy."

The piglin-hybrid nods, giving the winged man a little nudge with his head before standing up straight again.

Quackity blinks.

"What was that?"

It's Technoblade's turn to turn pink.

"Uh, nothin'. Just a piglin thing. I mean, wait. It doesn'- it doesn' mean anythin'. Well, it does, but I mean..."

The duck laughs.

"What does it mean, Techno?"

"It uh- it's just like a thank you. For puttin' a bandage on my face. Except only piglins do it. With people they care about. Not that- well, I-"

The piglin is having trouble forming a coherent sentence. Quackity grins.

"Does the almighty Technoblade actually care about me? Little old me? Awwwwwww! Who knew he had a soft side!"

Techno grumbles.

"I don't have a soft side. I'm just bein' nice 'cause you're injured."

"Suuuuure."

He helps Quackity downstairs and back to the couch.

"By the way, how did you know just from looking at the cut what to do? Did Ponk give you medical training?"

The duck looks away and mumbles his answer.

"When you're getting hurt every day, you learn to fix yourself up pretty quick."

They let that hang in the silence.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It's evening, and Techno is peer-pressuring Quackity into sleeping.

"Come on, you're injured. You gotta rest up or else you'll never heal."

"Noooooo, I don't wanna go to bed, I'm not tireeed."

Techno scoops him up easily and deposits him on the couch, spreading his cloak over him.

"Sleep, birdy."

"Ok, perra."

"What does that mean?"

Quackity smirks.

"Nothing."

The room is silent for a bit, and the smaller man wrings his hands anxiously.

His voice picks up a bit of an nervous tone.

"Techno, could you- would you stay with me? Just- in the room, while I sleep? I sometimes have nightmares, and I just- being alone-"

The piglin nods and wordlessly sits down on the other couch. His eyes watch Quackity carefully, but this time the duck isn't scared.

He almost looks... like he cares.

Quackity falls asleep, and he has no nightmares. That night, he dreams of red pupils and soft velvet fabric and half-smiles quickly hidden away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> k so i know the last few paragraphs sounded kinda shippy but no. i mean if u ship it cool, wasn't my intent with this but to each their own :)
> 
> also i freaking finally got this done and out can we get some pogchamps in chat
> 
> also also, what do yall wanna see in this fic? i have one chapter in the works where dream and sapnap are comforting quackity(I KNOW ITS OOC LEAVE ME ALONE) but i need more inspiration pls ;-;. if you request there is a high chance i will end up doing your thing, just because i need prompts, so do what you will with that info.
> 
> also also also, literally is this a long chapter or a short chapter i have absolutely no idea help


	5. thank you phil.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> quackity takes a while to get his brain working in the mornings + philza wing care!! finally im getting requests done :)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> tw: flashbacks to physical/verbal abuse, panic attack(??)
> 
> dude i havent updated in literally 2 months im so sorry
> 
> but im medicated now which is cool so i might be more motivated in the future

Quackity wakes to an empty house, cold seeping into his bones. He must have kicked off Techno’s cloak in his sleep, because it’s draped over the side of the couch, spilling onto the floor.

He stretches and rises, grabbing a fistful of the cloak. His sleep-heavy hands fumble, and he pulls it around himself, shivering as his feet hit the floor. 

The duck-hybrid drifts around the house, eventually ending up in what must be the kitchen. He takes a seat at the table, and stares out the window. He vaguely wonders where Techno is.

Suddenly a lock clatters and clicks open, sound piercing through the fog surrounding Quackity’s thoughts.

He whips around to see a (winged!!) blonde man dressed in green traveling wear, hanging his things up by the front door.

The man looks up and sees Quackity, wrapped in Techno’s cloak, curled up in a wooden chair. 

“Hey mate, you must be Quackity! Techno told me that ya’d be hangin’ around here for a bit. Nice to meet ya, I’m Phil.”

Quackity nodded, a bit confused, and shakes Phil’s hand. He gestures loosely to Phil’s wings.

“You’re… I’m? Wings. We have them. Both. Of us.”

Phil chuckles.

“Yeah, I’m a swan hybrid. Ya must be a duck by the look of those wings, yeah?”

The beanie-clad man nods. 

“But my wings are- they don’t do the...”

Quackity flaps his hands, too tired to even form coherent sentences.

“Ya can’t fly? That’s alright, mate. Plenty of winged hybrids can’t fly. It’s just the way ya are, nothing bad about it.”

The shorter blinks and then shakes his head.

“Used to. Now… when it’s… they’re broken.”

Phil winces and gives him a sympathetic look. It’s strangely comforting.

“Mind if I take a look at ‘em? My wings have been broken before, so I’ve learned a thing or two about setting bones.”

Quackity registers what he says and nods after a moment, turning to face the wall. Phil sits behind him on another chair, setting his traveler’s pouch on the floor and rummaging through it. 

“Alright mate, I’m just gonna move yer wings around a bit, lemme know if it hurts.”

Phil gently presses his thumbs into the wing joints, starting at the edges and methodically working his way inwards.

When he reaches the main wing socket, there is a jarring flare of pain and Quackity jerks away on instinct, curling inwards. He can’t breathe.

Schlatt stands above him, bottle in hand, feathers falling loosely from the other. He is screaming, and Quackity can’t hear him. He’s underwater, he’s drowning, he’s numb, his wings are broken and waterlogged and they’re dragging him down, down down.

And suddenly, he surfaces. 

Quackity is pressed against the wall, wings curling around him protectively. Phil is kneeling in front of him with a worried expression. He reaches out and grasps a fistful of Phil’s shirt, needing to ground himself. The room spins a little. 

Phil envelopes him in a hug, his wings stretching protectively around them, keeping him safe.

Safe.

He’s not with Schlatt. He’s home.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Quackity isn’t sure when he closed his eyes, but he opens them and lets some of the tension in his muscles melt away. Phil pulls back a little, and asks him something. He takes a minute to make sense of the words.

“Hey, ya alright? How bad does it hurt on a scale of one to ten?”

Quackity shakes his head.

“Not the pain. It- I remembered how they got broken.”

Phil gives him a comforting squeeze on the shoulder, then offers him a hand.

Quackity takes it, and sits back on the chair.

“Do ya want me to continue with yer wings? It’s ok if ya don’t, but they look like they haven’t been groomed in a while, and I’ve got some wing oil right here. It’ll take less than an hour.”

He considers it, and decides that Phil won’t hurt him. He turns around again, exposing his wings to Phil.

The blonde man runs a hand through the feathers, and a few broken ones flutter to the floor. Quackity blinks. It… sorta feels good.

Phil repeats the motion again and again, the tiny pinpricks of pain he feels all the time slowly dissolving under Phil’s hands.

Then he stops, and gives Quackity a little pat to bring him back to the present.

“Hey mate, I’m done with the broken feathers, so now I’m gonna groom yer healthy ones back into place. Is it ok if I pour some oil onto yer wings? It helps with the grooming process.”

The shorter man nods, and immediately lets out a high pitched trill of alarm as a thick substance is poured over his wings.

Quackity claps a hand over his mouth. Phil chuckles, massaging his wings a bit. 

“Yeah, sorry mate. It’s a bit cold at first. Yer body heat will warm it up, just try to relax. It’s ok to make bird sounds too, y’know. Instincts n’ shit.”

He slumps over the back of the chair, letting the blonde preen his feathers into places. Every now and then, a little chirp will escape him, and slowly the fear of being made fun of melts away.

There is a click, some rustling, and voices, but Quackity is too far gone to care. He feels the touch on his feathers subside, and lets out a sad trill.

“Hey birdie, I’m back.”

He snaps his head up. Techno stands in the doorway, holding a large bag of- are those blankets? 

“What- what’s- huh?”

Techno and Phil chuckle, and the latter gives him a pat on the back.

“I see you’ve met Phil.”

The piglin lifts the bag.

“I went to the village to get some blankets for you. I figured you might want to make a nest or somethin’? Phil stole all my blankets to make his, so here’s some more.”

Quackity accepts the gift, and takes out the blankets, walking with them over to the couch, fabric trailing behind him. 

He gets to work. He makes the basic circular shape, then tucks the sides in to make it neater. He’ll do the base with a different blanket. He grabs the pillow on the couch, and pushes it into the soft wall of fabric. Quackity pauses for a moment, staring at the unfinished nest. 

Techno comes up behind him.

“If you’re looking for a blanket to fill the bottom...”

He pulls his cloak gently off of Quackity’s shoulders, placing it in the bottom of the nest.

Quackity blinks. Once, twice. 

“You alright there mate?” Phil asks.

He stares for a moment longer, then lets out the happiest trill he’s ever sung.

Quackity practically dives into the nest, surrounded by soft blankets. He sinks into it, curled up and feeling safe.

He lets out little chirps, in his own little safety fort of bliss.

Phil chuckles and even Techno grins a bit. 

Quackity looks up. He glances at Phil, and smiles. 

“Thank you Phil. Thank you Techno.”

If in their hearts the two were secretly warmed, nobody said anything, gentle smiles returned would suffice. 

And if Quackity wakes the next morning to find Phil’s traveling coat draped over him, he doesn’t say anything, just puts it on under Techno’s cloak and takes to carrying it around with him.

And if this little bird has somehow managed to make them a family, it doesn’t need to be said. They care for each other, and that’s enough.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> grrr bark bark this is shorter than i wanted it to be but whatever 
> 
> kinda proud of myself for finally updating lol
> 
> fluffier chapter today, only a sprinkle of angst. hope you enjoyed, and please do comment, it motivates me a lot.
> 
> edit: JUST REALIZED MY FAVORITE WRITER BOOKMARKED THIS FIC WHAT

**Author's Note:**

> im literally so sad haha
> 
> pls comments feed my soul i want to interact with you guys /hj


End file.
